"Oh god damn it, why is it we always have the cold places!? Seriously, I think HQ is messing with us!"

Rock turned her gaze into the clear blue sky. Snowflakes floated down from the heavens, covering the landscape in a thick blanket of white. She gazed at her gloved hands and blew a hot breath into them to keep herself warm. It wasn't her first time experiencing snow; it was until very recently she met with a girl who lived within a village under the same conditions. Closing her eyes for a moment to ring herself back to reality, Rock opened them only be greeted with the sight of a landscape riddled with light Blue Mountains, a sunny bright sky and a colourful scenery.

"Familiar," muttered the Black Star as she gazed at the land before them, her hot breath rising into the air as smoke.

Her snake-like partner, Ron, glided to her side and nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah. Now that you've mentioned it, this place kinda looks familiar. You been here before, Rock?"

The girl gave him no answer and simply trudged on. The snake not expecting a reply followed suit, slithering through the air despite the lack of wings. At the back of the Black Shooter's mind, something was insistently tugging at her memory. It told her that she caught sight of this place once, she just didn't know when or where. Sure the snow was not foreign to her, but for some reason she felt a twinge of nostalgic sadness welling up within her.

I'm dead, that's there all to it.

She clutched her hand over her chest. A friend once told her that, a friend who became very dear to her despite their short meeting. Rock truly hoped they would see each other again, yet she had more pressing matters at hand. It didn't help when just after saving Dead from a love sick soul were she suddenly called to this mission. Ron commented one that they couldn't catch a break for at least two minutes. But then again, maybe Rock did need this. She needed something to focus her mind on, to wash away the sad memories on her past Soul Hunt.

"Snow, snow everywhere," grumbled Ron, "If I'm guessing right, the people here are going to offer us smoothes for lunch, maybe some ice cream for dinner, or frozen fish for breakfast. Geez, what kind of soul is stubborn enough to create a whole illusion like this? Bah, stupid souls..."

The girl tried to hide it, but if Ron ever opened his loud mouth one more time he'll be nothing more than a star at the distance, so it took a bit of her will power to keep her expression neutral. The two companions soon came across a sign which bore the City's name.

"Lowee, huh?" said the snake, flying up close to the words etched in bronze, "Now why does that sound familiar?"

He then turned to look at Rock who breathed one name, "Neptune..."


"Hurry Rom!"

"Wait, please. I'm exhausted!"

"There's no time for that, here she comes!"

Two little girls ran along the deserted streets, holding each other's hands while running as fast as they could as if chased by something monstrous. The leading girl had bright pink hair and weary blue green eyes, her sandals spattering mud on her bottle green dress as she ran. In tow was another girl almost identical to her in terms of appearance and fashion, the only difference was that her hair was sky blue while her tear filled eyes were pink. Her bright pink dress had dirt smeared across her skirt.

The blue haired one let go of her sibling's hand and leaned against a wall. It seemed like she overexerted herself running all day seeing that her breathing was shallow and that her knees were trembling so much that they were threatened to collapse at any moment. Her sister turned back and went to her side, tugging on her arm.

"We'll rest later, for now we gotta run! Come on, just a little bit more!" urged the pink haired girl in desperation.

Steeling her will, the other girl nodded slowly and followed her sister. They turned sharply to the right before climbing up a steel staircase up a building. The blue girl dared to glance back down, immediately regretting it as she saw the silhouette of a two horned demon with large arms on the wall, ever coming closer. She was then wrenched back to reality when her sister violently grabbed her arm in panic. They ran above the rooftop, kicking the door leading into the building and rushing inside.

The two paused for a moment to regain their breath. Their little hearts beating faster than what should have been considered healthy. Needless to say, this day sucked from the moment they woke up that morning. The pink haired girl was the first to recover, taking a glance at her sister as she wiped sweat from her brow.

"Rom, you okay now?" she asked in concern. She was so terrified that she didn't care for her sister's condition, seeing her sister struggle to breathe made her a bit guilty.

"I'm okay, Ram… Don't worry," reassured Rom, though her body collapsing against the canary yellow wall and down the carpeted floor said another story. It didn't take long for the other girl to collapse too. Ram's limbs felt sore from all the running. She was so drained of energy that she couldn't even lift a finger. The only reason she hadn't collapsed like her sister yet was that she was running on sheer willpower and fear. Whatever it was chasing them, it wasn't something that would bake them cookies before eating them.

She had to get her sister way from that thing. No matter what happened, she had to protect her sister. Blanc wouldn't it her hear the end of it if she lost Rom.

They had to get away, far away. Bad enough that they couldn't use their powers even though they were in HDD. Fighting back proved no use, fear sank its fangs unto them whenever they tried, causing them to run like hell. Setting traps against that thing wouldn't work either. It seemed smart enough to avoid or bypass it all together. The worst part is that they had no idea what it looked like. It was like that monster was playing tricks on them, it was scary.

All they could do was run. Run across their own home chased by something nigh unkillable. They were on their own.

Ram's attention was then turned to Rom who was quietly sobbing in the corner. She crawled on all fours towards her sister, too tired to even stand up. She gave Rom a hug just to comfort her, it was all she could do, maybe this nightmare would go away and they would be waking up any moment. Unfortunately, it didn't end yet on the bright side Rom had stopped sobbing.

"Come on, we have to go," said Ram as she slowly got up. She offered a hand to her sister who gladly took it. The two girls were about to exit the hallway when the wall before them exploded, exposing the blue brick walls of the next building. However what froze them both on their tracks was the fact that there was floating black skull with acid green eyes staring back at them.

It roared.

Much to the pink haired girl's surprise, a flower vase flew past her shoulder and hit the skull dead on the forehead. She was then dragged backwards by her sister, kicking down another door leading into a staircase. Ram was still shocked at both the skull's appearance and her sister's quick thinking. A smile grew across her lips as she watched Rom take the lead for now.

They burst through another door and into another alleyway. The two putting all of their strength into their legs just to keep running. That's when another black skulls fell from the sky, right in front of them. Ram yelped and quickly pulled Rom back. Just as they were about to go the other way another skull came crashing down, glaring menacingly at them while a flower was dangling limply on its head.

"Dammit!" cursed Ram as she and her sister stood back to back. They were caged in, no way out. Her eyes travelled to her right, maybe they could go back inside the building. Moving fast, she grabbed Rom's hand and charged into the open door, only to get blown back by…something.

"Ah, ah, ah~ Good girls need to stay put, you know?" said a sweet voice from within. A young woman with the same acid green gaze as the skulls walked out from the building. She had a kind smile on her face, yet her horns and tiny wings sticking out of her back betrayed the appearance. The girl wore a sleeveless shirt along with a black tie that had a star embroidered on it her, complimenting her black belt and white skirt along with her leggings. Her long gloved hands were hidden behind her as she leaned forward, trying to look harmless despite the fact of two enlarge bone heads were blocking the exits.

"W-w-what do you want f-from us, y-y-yo-you Old hag!?" cried Rom as she clutched her sister tightly.

"Yeah, we….we didn't do nothing to you! So why chase us, huh?!" Ram yelled defiantly, yet her attempt was casually ignored by the green eyed girl with her sickly sweet smile. The way this person was looking at them, it reminded the sisters of that time when a disgusting robot took interest in them. However this time, it felt just… wrong.

The horned girl uttered a poorly suppressed giggle, leaning back and pointing her index finger at the twins, "I want you. Both of you~"

She's just like Trick! Ram squealed within her mind as Rom clutched her tighter.

"Ram, I'm scared!" sobbed the blue haired girl, burying her face on her trembling sister's shoulder.

"Skull-chan, crush them!" ordered the green eyed menace, the skulls levitating into the air with their maws wide open. With a roar, the two boneheads charged straight forward with the intent of smashing the little girls into paste.

Ram closed her eyes and hugged her sister back, We're about to die again…

CLANG

Confused at the strange noise, the pink haired girl opened her eyes by an inch, before finally going wide eyed in shock. A girl landed in front of them, stretching what looked like cannons on either side of her body, just in time to stop the skulls in mid-air. What Ram found fascinating about the sight was not the newcomer's clothing or that of her gigantic weapons, it was her eyes. Clear as the ocean and blazing like a burning furnace. Did I mention that she meant the 'blazing' part literally?

One of the girl's eyes was engulfed in a mysterious blue flame.

Two things happened at that instant. The twins heard something click before yelping in surprise as the cannons unleashed two devastating bullets into the skulls' forehead at point blank range, knocking them backwards from whence they came from. The newcomer's left hand began to glow bright blue for a second before transforming back into a normal arm, leaving the right cannon to be aimed directly at the horned girl's face.

BOOM

Soon the blue eyed girl's right arm changed back into a normal one, leaving behind a black snake like creature with no distinguishable eyes. Rubble and dust filled the building's exit, not even the door was spared from the destruction the Rock Cannon made. She turned her attention towards the twins gazing at them with a expressionless face, yet it was the snake creature who spoke.

"Oi, you girls alright?" he asked. Yes, it was a he, judging from its voice. The twins looked at it with mixed reactions; disbelief, complete utter shock, confusion, fear, awe, and surprise. The two of them sank to their knees, still holding each other close.

"I'll take that as a yes," muttered the snake.

"Ron," called the girl with her hand outstretched. Ron glided towards the girl and burst into blue light, only to turn into an elegant black sword.

"Stay behind us," ordered the snake-turned-sword, causing the twins to give a slack jawed nod.

The blue eyed girl gripped her sword before turning to face the rubble filled building exit. Everything ceased to move. It seemed like the entire world held its breath, waiting. The wait was over before it even began. The horned girl from earlier burst through the rubble, a strange three headed sword in hand. Her face contorted into an emotion of glee, she happily struck the blue eyed girl. The newcomer met her strike by slashing upwards with her right hand, locking the two combatants for a brief moment.

"Hello Rock, fancy seeing you here~" sang the green eyed girl, her face still showing that unwavering smile.

"Dead," muttered the blue eyed girl, planting a foot behind her before pushing Dead away from her. The horned girl merely landed on a wall, kicking off it towards another one .She repeated this movement until she was at the very top of the building, looking down on Rock and the twins.

"Now aren't you rude," teased Dead as she set her sword beside her. "Ahh~ I think this is fate! We just came back from one mission only to meet up with each other on another one! Destiny calls for us, Rock my dear."

"Go to hell!" yelled the black sword, causing Rock to involuntary point its blade towards the horned girl. Dead merely stuck her tongue out and jumped off the building to be caught by her flying skulls.

"I'll be seeing you soon~" she called as she flew away on her undead steed.

Ron transformed back into his snake form as Rock released a heavy sigh. That girl had caused enough trouble for them to last a year. They didn't know how long they should put up with her antics. Once they cleared their minds a bit after the commotion, the two companions finally turn their attention to the trembling twins. An area lacking two trembling twins.

"…."

"Ron, calm do—"

"THEY GAVE US THE SLIP!" roared the snake, only to be silence when his partner clamped his mouth tight with her bare hands.

"Split up," suggested the blue eyed girl as she struggled to keep Ron's mouth shut. He thrashed widely like the snake he was for a moment before finally calming down, Rock released her hold on him so that he could hover at her side.

"You're right… Take the roofs, I'll search on the ground," said the snake, turning his head at his companion, "Remember, we need to get them before Dead does. Who knows what she'll do to them if they get caught."

Rock nodded in agreement before launching herself into the air. She kicked against the walls as she ascended; much like Dead did before her, finally landing on the rooftop of a building. A chilly breeze immediately greeted her. She looked up into the gray sky as snowflakes began to fall once more. The Black Star thought about the state of the twins' dresses and concluded that it won't do for them running around like that.

Nudging the concerned thoughts out of her head, she approached the edge of the roof to get a clearer view of the city she was in. Due to her haste on arriving in time to save the twins, she didn't have the time to go sightseeing. Rock has seen her fair share of strange, yet it was only now did she look upon houses shaped as mushrooms. She blinked in confusion as she thought on who would build such a thing. For some reason, the mushroom houses looked familiar.

Shops made out of glass panes and normal looking stores were tucked together, leaving much space on the frozen streets. The Blue Mountains surrounded this city since one would see them perfectly at this kind of height, Rock could see their snow-capped peaks from afar. It was strange, weird, and surreal. Totally out of this world even by the Threshold's standards. There could only be one answer to this, and she could clearly guess what it was.

She caught sight of something moving inside an alley about two blocks from her position. Not wasting any more time, she sprinted across the roof, kicked off the metal railing and leapt off the building. The freezing air stung her cheeks as she travelled above the ground, before in a roll on top of another roof. Releasing a brief huff, she ran once more jumping from one building to another with little effort. Rock only slowed her pace as she stealthily tailed two moving figures below her.

She jumped off one more building and landed with the ground cracking beneath her. The twins skidded to a halt, the blue haired girl taking a flower vase out of nowhere and prepared to throw it. Rock's eyes went wide and immediately raised her hands in surrender. Good thing too since the vase almost flew.

The pink haired one got in front of her twin and defiantly spread her arms on either side of her body, probably to shield her sister from Rock. The blue haired one was content in hiding behind her sister, though the vase she wielded was still prepared to be tossed. The three of them stared at each other for a few moments that were until the Black Star extended her hand towards them in greeting. Rom and Ram gazed at the gesture in confusion, stealing a glance at each other without saying a word.

Finally Rock broke the silence, "Not here… to hurt… you."

"H-H-How should we know t-that you're not playing a prank on us?" questioned Ram, trying to look brave yet only to fail on it as her knees trembled. "We saw that woman earlier; don't think that we'll go trusting you that easily just because you saved our skins!"

"G-Go away," Rom mumbled timidly as she raised her vase higher.

"Please, don't… be afraid…" replied the Black Star, taking a step forward. "Trust me…"

The twins cringed as she approached, forcing the blue eyed girl to realize her mistake and retreat a few paces. She exhaled through her nose; this was going to be harder than she thought. She had to calm them down, make them listen somehow. But seeing them like this, Rock knew that forcing them into something will only go nowhere so it was out of her options. She looked back at her past experiences with souls and she found out that she had no encounters with the souls of children.

She noted in her mind that this was somehow a first for her.

"Ah, there you are," called a male voice, which was soon revealed to be from Ron who was slithering his way through the air. He came to a halt just across Rock, directly a few paces away from behind the twins, making the two sisters appear as if they were surrounded. Needless to say, the blue haired one didn't take this lightly and panicked. Proceeding to lobbing a heavy vase into Ron's clueless head. Fortunately for him he managed to dodge it at the last minute, but he was anything but happy.

"What the hell was that for?!" he yelled angrily, "I didn't do anything to you, so why throw a freaking vase at me!? Geez, the nerve of kids these days!"

"Ron, stop it," snapped the Black Star before her companion went on a rant. It was bad enough to have these girls see them as hostiles.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," grumbled the snake before turning his attention back at the twins looking at him warily, "Oi, kids, we're not going to hurt you, okay? As weird as we look, you guys aren't doing any better, so why not answer a few questions and then we can all go about our lives. Sounds good, no?"

"Of course not!" yelled the pink haired one, "You expect us to go with a complete stranger and a…. snake?! No way we're gonna do that!"

"S-Snake?! Dammit, I'll show you sna—"

The blue eyed girl walked past the two girls and grabbed her partner by the neck, gripping it hard before throwing him with all her might into a wall. Ram and Rom watched in horror as Ron slowly slid down the wall and directly into a trash bin. Rock turned her to look at the twins whom stared at her with wide eyes.

"I need to ask you if you know someone named Neptune."


Déjà vu, the feeling of repetition, that was the feeling Rock was experiencing at the moment. She sat inside a fancy restaurant accompanied by two little girls she never knew or spoke to before. In front of her was enough food for a feast, only this time it was only her eating. The two girls in front of her were strangely quiet as she munched on her muffin. She savoured its texture and flavour before swallowing, followed by a glass of red wine. Delicious.

It was weird though, the entire city was deserted. Not a single Silhouette or people walking its streets. There was no one to serve the food so they had to get it from the kitchen; fortunately the food there was ready to eat. An eerie idea came across the three girls as they got their food, if there was no one around, then who kept the food warm as if freshly cooked?

So here they were, engulfed in an awkward silence as Rock ate and ate.

An anger vein popped on Ron's head before he used his tail to smack his partner upside the head, "Oi! Will you stop eating!?"

The twins jumped at his sudden outburst. True to his word, the Black Star ceased her consumption of food, that's because her head was buried face first into a chocolate cake. It seemed like the blue eyed girl was knocked out cold, Ron bore no qualms on his actions. Instead he faced the twins and fixed his voice.

"Ahem, hello there," he greeted as politely as he could, "My name is Ron and this glutton here is my partner Rock. We were just passing by and somehow recognized you being harassed by… one of our colleagues. We would like to extend our deepest apologies for her actions as well as my partner's tactless behaviour. Um, may I know your names?"

The girls had a brief exchange with their eyes, deciding whether to answer or not. They had already agreed to go peacefully to talk about a few things; it would be rude to not even give their names when the….snake gave his own as well as his partner's. They needed answers, and these two beings were the answers they were looking for, vice versa.

"M-My name is Ram," the pink haired girl introduced herself before gesturing at her sister, "And this is my sibling; Rom. We're CPU candidates in this Landmass; Lowee."

"Ram, huh?" pondered the snake. If he had a face, he would've given the girl a suspicious look.

"I-Is something wrong?" she asked timidly, squirming under the snake's invisible gaze.

"What? Oh nothing," replied Ron, "It's just we know another person that goes by the name of Ram. Anyway, CPU candidates? Pardon our ignorance, but what are those?"

"Ah, y-you and your friend are probably foreigners," said Ram, "well… Um, how do I explain this….?"

"CPU candidates are those working to be the next CPU should the current one step down," Rom helpfully answered, though in a quiet tone. She finished in a low tone, barely audible, "Or die…"

"I… see then," Ron nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, h-how did you know about Miss Neptune?" inquired Ram while crossing her arms, "Isn't she supposed to be out there saving Gamindustri? How did you meet her? Is everything…all right?"

The pink haired girl ended in an uncertain tone to which her sister glanced at her with a worried expression. Ron remembered during the space warp inside Neptune's illusion. These were the same twins that she and her sister fought, subdued, and killed. The two girls in front of him now accepted death holding each other's hand. As sad as it was, he had to put his game face on. They left the world they lived in on the hands of someone they thought was capable of protecting it.

It would probably big news to them if they knew the truth.

Ron inhaled a deep breath as he said, "You are…aware, that you are dead, right?"

He braced himself, his tail coiled around Rock's arm in case something exploded. It was a miracle that nothing happened. Instead, it was Rom who confirmed it, "Yes. We both have memories of our past, what happened, and how we came here. We only have the problem of being chased by… that scary lady with the horns…. And not knowing where we are…"

"We died," Ram said sadly, "It hurt. It hurt a lot. It was the most painful thing I felt in my entire life…"

She lifted her head up, her jaw set straight, "if… you did meet Miss Neptune… here in this world… Then does that mean that she too…?"

"Yes, she's also dead," answered Ron, ignoring his blunt statement.

"T-then Gamindustri… Is lost?" breathed Rom, cupping her hand on her mouth.

"Ah…. About that," the snake wrapped his tail around his glass and sipped his wine before placing it down again to scratch his head, "Your world is safe. Don't worry."

"But… How?" asked Ram in disbelief.

"Well before we got to fight her, she sent us into a space warp of her past memories. Her regrets which she clung on to remain in this world," Ron breathed deeply, "Me and Rock here got a glimpse of her quest. Her mission to save this world, Gamindustri. We witnessed how one thing led to another and she was forced to kill her friends just to become powerful. I saw how she fought and beat you along with her sister, Nepgear I think her name was…. Heh, never thought I'd be complimenting a couple of stagnant souls, but you two were brave standing up and taking in the pain like that… Anyhow, she managed to eliminate the other Goddesses, after that she planned on killing her own sister, only to chicken out in the end."

"Huh? What did she do then?" questioned Ram confusion.

"She asked her sister to kill her," Ron answered simply.

The snake gulped and looked outside the window. Snow covered the streets and seemed to be falling more thickly than before, albeit in a slow gentle pace. The sky was still gray; the sun wasn't going to come out any soon and Dead was still lurking around. All he wanted was well deserved break, was that too much to ask? It sucked how he had to tell the sob story. He glanced at the twins' faces and somehow felt that their sadness was contagious. It was amazing how none of them cried.

The silence hung heavily over them. Rock was still unconscious yet alive, Ron knew since he noticed his partner's stomach rise and fall. It was funny how other people got to make the tough decisions while beings like him got to sit back and watch the show. These girls before him, they've been through rough times. He was lucky how he hadn't experience what they felt, at least maybe not yet. He's seen a lot of battles, fought a lot more in the hands of different partners, yet he never experienced sadness like this or at least witnessed people this depressed.

If it were any other soul he didn't to know more, he would've just ignored it and moved on. He cursed Neptune for getting close to Rock, and by proxy, him.

"Don't… worry…" Rock's form began to move as her muffled voice came through the cake. Her hand managed to grab a fist full of napkin and lift her head up, wiping it thoroughly, revealing her ever expressionless face. However there was softness in her tone, "She's... happy. She finally let go of despair…"

"Rock…" whispered Rom, "Do you really think so?"

The Black Star nodded.

"Hmph, well there goes that topic," griped Ron, "I've been meaning to ask though, how did Dead find you? How long was she chasing you around?"

Ram seemed uncomfortable at that, yet she still managed to answer, "We just woke up one morning in our HDD forms. Rom and I wondered why since we thought we were supposed to be dead. That's when that woman, Dead, wrecked our wall. We tried to fight yet for some reason; we always froze and ran the opposite direction. It was like she was controlling our fear or something. I swear she just came out of nowhere and started chasing us."

"We went to the next person who we thought who could help us," added Rom, her voice much more distinct and clear, "Our elder sister; Blanc. CPU of Lowee and commonly known as the Goddess; White Heart."

"Yet for some reason, she wasn't in her room, huh?" guessed the snake. The twins nodded in confirmation. "then it's like Neptune's case, she too didn't see her sister. Only illusions of people she knew in real life. There's the possibility that your sister isn't even in this Illusion you created. I mean you are stagnant souls after all…"

"Yes," agreed Ram, it seemed like she accepted that fact, "But I could've sworn she was there. I mean, it was like she was whispering in our ears, calling out our names."

"Can… You hear her now?" asked Rock with her eyes narrowed.

The twins glanced at each other before saying in perfect unison, "Yes."

"Although faintly," added Ram.

"Alright, one more question and then we're done," announced Ron to which he gained a raised eye brow from his partner, "What? We got other businesses to attend to. Namely that stalker of yours. Ahem, anyhow, Ram and Rom…."

He lowered his voice and leaned close towards the twins, forcing them to lean on their chairs, "Why are you still here? Goddesses have no souls since they are divine beings… You could ascend to Heaven any time you want, and yet you still chose to stay here despite that… So my question is; Why are you still here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ram slammed her fist on the table as she stood up, "I want my big sister back!"

"And we're not leaving without her," followed Rom, her face bearing a determined expression. "But… We know we won't find her ourselves. Please, help us!"

The snake stared at them for a couple of seconds before looking back at his partner. Rock's face remained neutral throughout the discussion so who knows what she was thinking. The twins seemed desperate in finding their sister no matter what the cost. Going as far as being bold enough to ask for a Black shooter's help. Ron released a sigh.

"Rock let's go, we're leaving," he said out of nowhere, gliding towards the exit. The blue eyed girl seemed surprised at first yet regained her composure, reluctantly following her partner. To say Ram and Rom were shocked at Ron's departure would be an understatement. Ram barely managed to say something that stopped the two companions on their tracks.

"W-W-Wait, why?" she stuttered, not daring to believe they can take off after all that. "A-Aren't you going to help?"

Unsurprisingly, it was the snake who answered, "Well, we got what we came for. You answered our questions and confirmed that you are Neptune's friends. Meaning that sooner or later you'll ascend with no problems whatsoever, what will you need our help for?"

"B-But Blanc," Rom didn't had the voice to finish the sentence, yet the idea was there.

"She'll be fine. Give it time and she'll come in terms with her death and ascend too," explained Ron, "You're Goddesses, so it's not like you'll have any reason to stay here and mope around. Besides, me and my partner have better things to do."

"Hey, you can't just say that!" snapped Ram, tears filling her blue green eyes.

"And why not?" huffed the snake, "Look, Goddess or no, we Black Shooters only take orders from HQ. We don't have the leisure time to go around solving the world's problems. Besides if we helped you, how would that be beneficially on our part? You're stagnant souls, heck even if we helped you, you wouldn't leave any souls for us to keep since you're Divine Beings. In the end, it's just a waste of effort on our part, right?"

"Yet you still helped Miss Neptune!" argued the pink haired twin.

"Correction," growled Ron, he was starting to lose his cool, "We just did our jobs. She ascended by her own volition, whereas you two are being immature and are doing nothing but finding excuses so you could stay here. You do realize that you can ascend anytime you want, right? Yet here you are…"

Ram didn't seem to have an answer for that and slumped back in her chair. Her sister stroked her hair in an attempt to comfort her, "It's… it's okay… We'll find her ourselves… Mister Ron, Miss Rock, sorry if we bothered you. You're right, this isn't important. It's okay…"

Rock blinked twice and glanced at her partner who merely sighed. There was nothing they could do; these two were the only ones who could do something to find their sister. Right now, she had to focus on finding Dead and dragging her by the hair out of this Illusion. The Black Star didn't want anyone interfering with the twins' mission. It was the least she could do.

"It's good that we've come to an understanding," said Ron with a nod and was about exit the restaurant.

At least that was intention.

The door burst open with a spectacular force, hitting the snake dead on the head and knocking him backwards. Rock raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the left just to avoid her partner's flying body.

"Honey I'm home~" called a sweet girl's voice.

Ram and Rom immediately froze in fear. It was as if their blood ran cold as they sat on their chairs, staring at the person who had just entered the restaurant. Dead casually walked in with her ever present smile, clapping her hands and giggling like a school girl as she caught sight of the blue eyed girl, "Ah! Rock my love my darling, you're here again!"

Rock could only grimace as Dead embraced her and rubbed her face against her cheek. Annoying, the Black Star thought.

That was then the moment when the horned girl spotted the twins; she immediately tossed the girl in her arms aside and skipped her way to the frozen Ram and Rom. The pink haired girl had her mouth open as she stared at death itself. She was so scared that she couldn't move her body; it was like there was this aura constricting her windpipe making it hard for her to breathe. This feeling changed however as Dead said the following words while holding the little girl's hands.

"Now, now, don't cry little angel. Auntie Dead's going to help you find your sister," she announced without a care in the world. She then glanced beside her to the rising girl behind her, "We'll help them, right Rock?"

The Black Star's face was contorted in a scowl. Before she could even say anything, something rumbled from the mess of tables and chairs not too far from them. Ron burst out of the junk and into the air.

"What the hell was that for, lady?!" he roared angrily, breathing hard. "And what's this dragging Rock into something she doesn't have business with?! It's a complete waste of time!"

"Hmph, and you're saying you could say no to a face like this?" Dead pouted as she brought Ram close to her, burying the girl in her modest bust which caused said girl to blush, "How cold hearted of you."

"Tch, look this doesn't have anything to do with us," the snake turned his attention to his partner, "We're leaving."

"And leave these munchkins in my care?" teased the horned girl evilly, "You didn't even give me the chance to say something."

"It's not like it's anything important in the first place!"

"Ron…"

"Fine! What is it?" snapped Ron, twisting his body so he was facing Dead.

Smirking that the snake was now listening, she then let go of Ram and seated herself between to the twins, cuddling them as if they were stuffed toys. Rock felt a twinge of pity for the two girls as they were too afraid to even move an inch, so Dead hugged them both with no resistance whatsoever. "Well, I understand that you're greedy little snake that's so selfish that you won't help people out of pure compassion."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

The snake's words went unheeded as Dead went on, "So, if you think that you can't do this since it won't benefit yourself, then why not do it for the benefit of the Threshold?"

"What do you mean?" much everyone's surprise, it was Rock who asked.

"Goddesses, souls, and Shooters, it doesn't matter what kind of race lives within this godforsaken Crevice," the horned girl's smile seemed to widen, "It's that everything here is being corrupted. Now I know that you're looking at me weird since you're thinking I'm spouting out nonsense, yet I am not. Even as you say that Goddesses are Divine beings and that they can no longer be purified since they are already pure, it doesn't stop them from being corrupted by mortal desires… Call it a taint, an infection, or filth slowly distorting their Divinity, the longer they stay in this world, the more will their desires corrupt them."

"How do you know all of this?" questioned Ron. If he had a face he would've gritted his teeth.

"I have my ways," Dead winked at him, "Back on topic; I'll make these two as an example. Dears, what is it that you wish for?"

The question was directed towards the twins on either side of her. Ram seemed to have lost her voice the moment Dead approached her, meaning it was up to Rom to answer for the two of them, "We… We want to have our sister back…"

"Indeed," said the horned girl with a happy nod, "And it's because of this you have a reason to stay in this world, correct? But soon you'll realize that all of your efforts would be futile and you'll eventually give in to hopelessness. Based on my observations during our…. Initial encounter… You already proved that said desire is affecting you in different ways."

"L-Like how?" asked Ram in a fearful tone.

"Hmm let's see," Dead had a thoughtful look on her face before placing her index finger on the pink haired girl's head. Ram instantly froze, "There. You are afraid; fear is both an amazing tool and a horrible weapon. I take it that you're not easily scared back when you're alive, no? This just shows that your desire to be with an elder sibling, to be completely dependent on someone you trust, overcomes your usual emotions. It subconsciously pokes its ugly head out, thus restricting you from either fighting back or making good decisions. This restriction works also regarding your powers, reason why I haven't seen you curbstomp me with divine punishment. Honestly I could care less."

"But if what you say is true, then what of Neptune? I know you weren't there, but she still managed to use her full power against us," said Ron as he drifted to Rock's side.

"This is just a theory, but I think the Threshold affects the Goddesses in different ways. This goes to say that there's the possibility of other Divine entities being trapped here."

"Fine the. But if what you say that CPUs can be corrupted, then why wasn't Neptune corrupted when we met her?"

"It's simply because she was already corrupted, something acted as a trigger for it to unleash."

"You've been here the entire time, listening to our conversations, haven't you?" growled the snake.

"I like keeping tabs on Rock," Dead replied with a smile, yet her expression turns into a mocking one as she continued, "Now take note that I've only realized this just today, and not everything I say may be correct. However like a shotgun bullet, it doesn't mean at least one of them are right… Which brings me to another matter…"

"W-What is it?" asked Ram.

"We cannot waste any more time," stated Dead with a solemn look, "You guys remember that as time passes, the more corrupted the Goddess would be, right? Well this connects with what I said about the benefit of the Threshold. Should the Goddess become fully corrupted, then I don't think even the Black Shooters would be able to stand up to it. You see, as the Goddess becomes tainted, it only loses its Divine powers as the corruption progresses. Once its complete, then the Goddess would have the power of a stagnant soul only to regain its Divine powers back."

"Hold on, you sure you're not pulling these stuff out of nowhere?!"

"Of course not," replied the horned girl looking offended, "Skull-chan is there right now. Where this Blanc is. The transformation is nearing its completion and if we don't do something….."

She then waved her hand at Ron, "Then goodbye, Threshold~!"


Rom was worried. All she did today was wake up in the morning, brush her teeth, take a shower and dress up as always. She figured it was going to be another normal day until she realized her hair was blue. Everything spiralled out of control from that moment. She and her sister were forced to run for their lives, lost, scared, and confused. Not only was their elder sister missing, but also the people living within Lowee. The entire city was completely deserted save for them and…. That girl named Dead.

She didn't know what to think of that strange woman with the horns and levitating skulls. She was frightened yes, she felt a sense of evil and cruelty from the woman, yet despite all of this Dead acted like a nice person. Rom mentally bonked herself. This woman just chased them around the city with the intent of killing her and her sister. How could she be so nice as if nothing happened? The blue haired girl then concluded that that woman was not only weird and perverted, but also downright crazy.

A sigh escaped her lips. Mina always told her to stay away from people like that. She didn't know why Ram took interest to such people, yet it seemed like Dead was the only exception to that. She still wondered why the horned girl was trying her best to help out now. A change of heart? Did she hit her head or something? Or was it because of something…. Or someone…

Rom glanced at her side only to see the horned girl in question clutching a very disgruntled Rock's arm.

She quickly looked away into where she was walking. This day was certainly weird alright. Take in the fact that her sister actually commented that she was 'louder than usual'. Now that she thought of it, she did seem acting out of character. It wasn't normal for her to speak up or raise her voice. Maybe it was the effect of this 'weird corruption'?

Still, despite that, she wouldn't be as brave as her sister. All she did was speak up once in a while as Ram interacted more with these strangers. One of the few things she learned today was to back her sister up if she ever needed it, that's what siblings are for… That and throwing vases are effective against enemies.

Their party which consisted of four people, a snarky grumbling snake, and two floating skull head sentinels was now slowly approaching Lowee's main Basilicom. They passed by the yellow, red and green buildings as the snow steadily fell. It was amazing how this so call 'Threshold' could copy the exact same appearance of her old home. It was just as bright and colourful. The only thing missing was the bright smiles of the people passed by, the occasional Silhouette and the never ending foot traffic.

"Rom, you okay?" it was the voice of her sister, looking at her with concern. "um, you look like you're about to cry again…"

The blue haired girl wiped her eyes. Sure enough, they seemed to feel wet. She shook her head and gave her sister a small smile, "I'm...okay. Don't worry…"

"Alright then, just remember that in an hour we'll get to see Blanc again," said Ram with confidence. Yes, the two Black Shooters lagging behind them were going to help find and bring back Blanc. Now all they needed to do was head back to the Basilicom and search for the source of their elder sister's voice. Rom could hear her if she strained her ears. Blanc was calling to them, whispering their names over and over as if pleading them for help.

Back in the restaurant, their sister's voice could only be heard faintly yet now it seemed like it was growing louder and louder until it was at the background of their hearing.

"Yes," replied Rom as she and her sister continued to lead the party. She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

"So," began Dead, lowering her head between the twins, "What kind of person was this Blanc, hm? Surely you can tell me she's worth saving, right?"

"I-I suppose so," Ram replied, struggling beneath the horned girl's grip.

"Well tell away~" sang Dead with a smile.

Rom looked behind her and found an unconscious Rock being slapped awake by Ron. She turned her attention back to her sister as she began to speak.

"Blanc is…" the pink haired girl thought for a moment before continuing, "Well, she may not be the best sister in the world, but she's a really good one. She may get angry at times, throw a tantrum, and spit around her colourful vocabulary, but in truth… She's really shy and only wants to make friends. Those times when she gets angry, it's sometimes our fault. You see, Blanc rarely smiles. She's usually busy trapped in her own world, reading and writing; often does she skip meals and lock herself inside her room. Whenever she's out though, the house never gets a time of peace. She would yell, I would laugh, and Rom would cry, everything… It was good. It just got better when… Miss Nepgear came along…"

"I see…" said the horned girl, though curiosity continued to shine in her eyes, "What happened then? It seems like Blanc and this Nepgear were important to you."

"Nepgear was the one who killed us," admitted Ram with her head hung low, "Her sister, Neptune, she killed Blanc. They were the ones who sent us here…"

"Hmm, cruel and evil they are… You friends and yet they still killed you? Why if I were to meet them I would give them a piece of my mind!"

"Ah, no!" cried Rom, she immediately covered her mouth as Dead directed her attention to the blue haired girl with a look of confusion. The girl blushed and looked away as she said, "T-T-They were only doing what… Was right. They weren't really… E-Evil… They needed our power so we gave it to them…It was for the good of Gamindustri, you see. We had no choice…"

The horned girl then giggled, "That's… cute… What kind of monster would go by that cold and disgusting logic? Even I have my standards…"

"L-Like I said we had no choice…" explained the blue haired girl in a sad tone. "Our friends, family, we had to leave them all behind for the sake of that world. E-Even if we're just this small… We wanted to make a difference. Me and my sisters, we worked hard…"

Rom faltered in her words as a lump grew in her throat, giving Ram the chance to catch her, "That's why we gave our life for Gamindustri. We wanted to prove we were strong, think what you like, but in the end, our world was saved. That…" She held her sister's hand, "Is all that mattered to us…"

"We knew the risks," added Rom as she squeezed her sister's hand.

Dead patted their shoulders before letting them go, walking on ahead as the Basilicom revealed itself. Rom could've sworn she saw the girl wear a different smile, almost a sad one.


"We're here," announced Ron as the group entered through the Basilicom's unlocked doors. Dead's skulls stood guard outside while the snake flew around in search for anything unusual. Rock had to blink her eyes to adjust to the floor's yellow light. Rows upon rows of benches were sitting at the sides, making an open path towards what looked like an altar. She slowly approached it while noting the ever gray sky above the glass. It was like a church, a very futuristic church…

For some reason she could recall a vague memory of another church with chains and something about Dead. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, good thing it was the time Ram choice to say something.

"We're getting closer!" she called, "Follow us!"

"Ron."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going…"

The snake and the two Black Stars then tailed the twins as they entered through a wide door which led into a large corridor with smooth gray walls and purple coloured floor. Lanterns hung on the wall's sides, lighting the path along with glass windows above, allowing light to enter. Rock took the lead with Ron beside her, Dead was content running behind with a stupid smile on her face. The blue eyed girl couldn't shake the feeling that her colleague was thinking of something indecent.

The twins came to a halt in front of another door, pressing what looked like a pass code to which the door opened. They quickly ran inside followed by Rock and her group. Finally they seemed to reach their destination. They were now in what looked like a real cathedral styled room. The windows were made out of stained glass, casting out purple beams of light upon the few rows of benches. The trimmings of the walls and edges of the room were coloured gold. Upon what looked like the altar was a large circle with golden streaks branching out of it.

If the previous room was a futuristic church, now this was a fancy church. Too fancy for Rock's tastes.

"So, Dead, what do we do now?" questioned Ron as he hovered beside his partner.

"Now? We do our jobs~," answered Dead, summoning her three pronged sword in a burst of green light. "White Heart is waiting…"

"Wha—" that was all Ram could say before the scenery began to change. The walls cracked as the floor began to lose its colour, slowly transforming into dark blue green. "What's happening?!"

"Welcome, Ram and Rom, to your sister's Illusionary World," greeted Dead with a cryptic tone.

"Ah, right…" said Ron as he slapped his tail on his head.

"W-What do you mean by that?!" asked Rom as she clutched on Rock's side.

"I don't know, but souls that usually have strong ties with one another are either placed within one Illusion or their Illusions are right next to each other, in this case…" Ron transformed into a black sword which was caught by Rock, "Your sister was right next door all this time, and you didn't even notice it… Man, this is getting ridiculous by the second. What now, another boss battle?"

"Heh, you just to say something, snake," chuckled Dead as the landscape completed its transformation. Stone crystals grew out of nowhere with the speed of a fast forwarded film, glowing with ominous green light. Large stalactites hung from the cavern roof while stalagmites burst through the floor. There was no exit, behind the group was a solid wall shaped into a curve while before them was a large chasm similar to an abominations gaping maw.

At the edge though stood a person clothed in white.

"Blanc!" echoed Ram's call throughout the cavern. Rock had to grab the girl's collar to prevent her from charging into the newcomer. So this was Blanc, a girl clothed in a snow coloured dress with brown and black design. The Goddess regarded the group with bored eyes and a dull expression; she didn't seemed to be surprised at her sisters' appearance.

"Blanc, it's us! Rom and Ram!" yelled the pink haired girl yet the CPU gave her no response. "Why…?"

"Well, she's been like this ever since Skull-chan witnessed her corruption complete," said Dead while putting her arms at the back of her head, "I wonder if we'll have to poke her. See if anything happens— Huh?"

A blue blur ran past the horned girl and sprinted with all its might towards the Goddess. It wrapped its arms around Blanc in a tight embrace. Rom sobbed uncontrollably as she hit her elder sister's shoulders, "Y-You… You were here all this time…. Why? Why did you have to hide?! You were our sister! You shouldn't have left us behind. We… We were so scared!"

"Girl, get away from the soul, right now!" yelled Ron.

"She's not a soul she's my sister!" screamed Rom as angry tears fell from her cheeks.

At that, Blanc placed a hand on the girl's head as if to pat her. That was what Rom expected, a horrible mistake on her part. Blanc grabbed a fist full of her hair and yanked her upwards. The little girl's vision was world of pain and agony; she didn't know why would Blanc do something like this. Her mind was mush, she couldn't even hear Ram's screams until she suddenly flying through the air. She landed into someone's arms whom she identified as Rock, her twin sister beside the Shooter.

The twins and the two Shooters watched as Blanc spread her arms on either side of her body as a blinding white light engulfed her being.

"Oh my, this looks fun," mused Dead as she held her sword with her right hand.

Rock blinked twice to get rid of the dark spots dancing at the edge of her vision. She was then greeted with the colossal body of a metal warrior. The torso of a huge suit of armor rose up the chasm, its silver body gleaming under the blue green light. Its body was large enough to reach the very roof of the cave. On its arms were two clawed hands, their blades shining with wicked light, ready to cut through anything that got in their way. On its chest was the distinct form of the corrupted Goddess; White Heart with her eyes closed as if within a peaceful slumber.

The colossus roared with its metal mouth as it loomed over the girls.

"Now that I think of it, this reminds me of that manga I read once," commented the horned girl as she stared unimpressed at her adversary, "Magic something?"

"Is this really the time?" snarled Ron in his sword form as Rock got into a stance.

"Oh maybe not," she then glanced behind her to where the twins were watching in horror as their elder sibling transformed into a monster, "You two be good girls and stay there."

"Alright then! Let's go, Rock!" yelled the sword as Rock's left eye blazed with blue flames

"Understood," she replied in monotone.

"Dinner's served~!" sang Dead as her right eye burst into green fire.

And so they charged the enemy.


The colossus drew its arms backwards and slammed them together, forcing Rock to transform her sword into a cannon use the recoil from a charge shot to retreat. Dead was more content avoid the attack by jumping upwards. The blue eyed girl aimed high and unleashed a concentrated fire at her enemy's face. Because of that, it provided enough distraction for Dead to come close and slash at the thing's face, delivering a kick on its visor to push herself back.

"Go Skull-chan!" she ordered as her twin bonehead sentinels flew towards the suit of armor and crashed into its face. The colossus had a dazed look as Dead landed back on the floor, she prompted Rock to take a shot at it while it was confused. That is until the thing's hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed a flying skull.

"Spread," snapped Rock as she went to the right while Dead dived to the left, a giant skull tossed into their direction.

She fired off one charge shot at a time, dealing little damage to the colossus yet effectively keeping its attention on her while her horned colleague got close enough to strike at the thing's arms. This went on for a while until Dead was caught by a sweep of the colossus' metal arm, knocking her into a wall. The giant then drew its right arm back and sent a fist towards Rock. She managed to roll out of the way and aim a charge shot at the imbedded hand.

The explosion that took place blew her off her feet, causing her to hit back first into the floor. Her cannon transforming into a sword, she got up and sidestepped another crushing fist, using the opportunity to hack and slice at the damaged hand. A whistling behind her indicated that an attack was coming so her sword turned into a cannon once more and was fired at the floor, launching her into the air as the colossus' other arm travelled below. Rock landed upon the thrashing arm, grabbing hold of the metal edge and firing one blue bullet after the other at the armor's face.

Realizing that she was about to get crushed into a wall, she jumped off and landed in a roll, firing off a couple of shots before performing a somersault to avoid the thing's sweeping arm. She then aimed her cannon at the colossus' face and fire a devastating charge shot. It head was knocked back at the ringing force, causing a few stalactites to collapse upon it.

"Ahh!"

At Rom's cry, the Black Star whirled around and aimed her cannon. She shot three stalactites that were about impale the twins; however because of this she didn't have enough time to dodge the armor's incoming hand. The expected impact never came for a three pronged sword impaled the palm into the ground, a very pissed off Dead driving it deeper. The left hand that was about to crush them both was halted by a skull sentinel push it back, followed by another skull head butting the armor's helmet.

"Get him," snarled Dead as she held her position, ordering Rock to take the opportunity. The blue eyed girl was more than willing; she transformed her cannon into a sword and sprinted up the colossus' stuck arm. She jumped off as she was about to reach the helmet and delivered a vicious slash to the face. She landed just beneath the armor's free arm as it clutched at the new cut on its metallic face. Not allowing it to recover too much, she focused her cannon's fire towards the thing's shoulder, the joints were her target.

It finally managed to release its hand from Dead's sword, launching her into the air. The horned girl was caught by one of her own skulls, using it as a platform; she kicked off and swung her sword in a wide arc. Successfully scarring the helmet's face, she landed directly in front of its torso before dashing away. Dodging a couple of fists, Dead managed return to Ram and Rom's side. Wiping her brow of sweat, she collapsed on her rear and sighed. She glanced at her side and gave the twins a wave.

"Hi there~," she greeted the twins, ignoring the fact that Rock was literally fighting for her life. "Quite the show, huh? I'm surprised you haven't taken out the popcorns."

"S-Shouldn't you be helping her?" Ram asked timidly as Rock hacked and slashed at the colossus' hands, "If you don't help her, she might die!"

"Ah, but she can take care of herself. Besides I need a break, it's not cool being tossed around like ragdoll," Dead raised her voice a bit over the sound of Rock's cannon fires.

A body slid past her and landed with a dull thud. She glanced behind her to see the blue eyed girl standing up while dusting her clothes. Rock glared at the horned girl before running towards the suit of armor once more. This only caused Dead to sigh in annoyance, "Well I guess break time's over…"

Ram and Rom watched as the green eyed girl stand up while picking up her sword. Dead stretched her arms and yawned, walking past a panting Rock after pushing her aside. The armor slammed its hand on top of her, only for it to connect with her sword. Unlike earlier, she easily deflected the colossus' fist to her left. She then dashed forward sword first with the intent of impaling the slumbering Blanc on the armor's chest.

"Don't hurt her!" yelled Rom from behind, forcing the horned girl to twist her feet and deflect the armor's left hand instead.

Rock took the opportunity to step on the hand Dead deflected and jump upwards to the colossus' face. With one powerful thrust she jammed her black blade between the armor's eyes, quickly transforming it into her rock cannon for a follow up shot. She was too busy firing her bullets that she didn't see the colossus' gigantic fist flying towards her, sending her flying backwards.

"Ugh, I don't think we're cut out for this anymore…" grumbled Ron as he turned into a sword, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," replied Rock as she beat away gravel from her shoulders.

Dead swung her sword back and forth, twisting around to deflect a right hand before stabbing backwards to impale a left hand. She ordered her skulls to bombard the thing's head as she waited for Rock to recover. A charge shot rang through the cavern, followed by an explosion at the colossus' ravaged face. With a smirk, the horned girl ordered her skull familiars to circle her before urging them to attack the armor's arms. Another boom and explosion roared, the armor's movements were becoming slow and sluggish, this could be their chance.

The two skull sentinels opened their jaws to their limit and chomped on the colossus' shoulders, tearing away iron and steel with great ferocity. The horned Black Star dismissed her familiars with a flourish of her hand, giving the blue eyed Black Star the opening. Rock charged her cannon.

BOOM

BOOM

The armor's metal hands fell lifeless on the ground. With no more weapons at its disposal, the colossus could only roar at its opponents. Dead leapt towards its face, slashing three times to silence it. It slumped backwards with its head hanging limply. It was over.

Rock lowered her cannon and sighed in relief. She glanced towards the twins and gave them a nod, a signal to which Ram and Rom approached her. The horned girl was at the colossus' torso, inspecting the still sleeping Blanc stuck on it. She noticed Rock come close with the twins and smirked.

"Well, I guess we beat her," she stated obviously, "Problem now is how do we get her out?"

The twins immediately ran towards their elder sister, calling out her named and tugging at her dress. The light which the colossus used to power itself started to fade and be absorbed by the slumbering Goddess, ever so slowly, cracks formed upon her bonds until they broke. Ram and Rom caught her and set her down. They continued to shake her yet it was no use, it seemed like Blanc was out cold.

"What are you thinking, Rock?" asked Ron as he turned back to his usual form of a snake.

"It must be fun…" she replied, "To have a sibling…"

Ron merely shook his head while Dead smiled to herself. That was when the horned girl noticed something odd. Her eyes met with Rock for a millisecond before they both grabbed Ram and Rom respectively and tossed them backwards. The twins didn't time to voice their protests for everything happened too fast, and Dead and Rock were already trapped within two severed arms. Ram and Rom watched in shock as the metal hands gained a life of their own, threatening to crush the Black Stars within their fingers.

Yet what shocked them most was the sight of their sister rising up to her feet, a smirk on her lips. A bright light shined for a moment before fading into nothingness, revealing the Goddess White Heart in all her glory with battle axe in hand. She raised her right hand in greeting, "Hey there, you two sure picked up a couple of interesting friends."

"Sis, why are you doing this?!" yelled Ram in confusion, her tears much more pronounced, "Please let them go; we're only trying to help you!"

"Yes, I know. Thanks for that," replied White Heart as she waved her hand dismissively, "Now I'm going to help you."

"Wh-What?"

"I've been watching you all this time," explained Blanc, ignoring the fact that there was couple of floating metal arms above her, "It was after you left the Basilicom, chased by this bitch." She gestured towards the struggling dead, "I watched how you two run and attempt to fight, watched how you met up with this girl and her snake," she gestured again to the panting Rock and the squirming Ron, "Heard what happened to Neptune, get an update and all that crap. And finally, see how you two travelled your way here…"

"I-I-I don't get it," sniffled Rom, "Why do you have to do this?"

"To see if you haven't lost your touch," the Goddess simply stated, "Since from the beginning, what have you two done? Tell me, Ram, Rom…"

A couple of heart beats passed by and it was Ram who answered, "We… Ran… We didn't even put up a fight…"

"Yes, you did just that," confirmed Blanc with a nod of her head, "Now tell me, during the fight with me, did it ever occur to you that you can help these two? Instead of sitting there, fearing for their lives, why didn't you take the initiative to talking some sense into me? Didn't you think that this might have been solved faster that way?"

The twins didn't respond and lowered their heads.

The Goddess ran her fingers across her face, "Man, you two are hopeless…"

"We're sorry…"

"Hm?" Blanc turned her attention at Rom who began to cry.

"We're sorry if we were bad sisters, we're sorry if we made you angry all the time, we're sorry if we didn't behave and doodled all over your works," sobbed the blue haired twin, "We- *hic*- We just wanted your attention. We didn't mean it, honest. We… We just wanted you to *hic* to be happy. We *hic* We're really sorry Blanc!"

Rom then wept on her twin's shoulder as they both cried. The Goddess released an irritated sigh, "Geez, alright listen up!"

This silenced the twins' sobbing into sniffles.

"If you can beat me in one hit then I'll let these two go," yelled Blanc while pointing at Rock and Dead, Ron had long passed out judging from the foam coming out of his mouth. "You only have one chance so make it last! Give me everything you've got! Show me your true power and I might forgive you!"

The twins stood up and wiped their tears before nodding, "Okay…"

They tapped into their powers and were surprised when they received a response. Their staffs materialized out of thin air, ready to be held by them once more. Ram and Rom grabbed their weapons and began gathering their power, passing energy between them to maximize the effect of this single attack. Blanc remained unfazed by this and simply watched, her arms crossed under her chest.

"Here," yelled Ram as she raised her staff above her head.

"We," echoed Rom as she too did the same.

Blanc closed her eyes with a smile, Go…


Rock opened her eyes to the sky. How long had she slept? Her last mission really did a number on her, not mention the souvenir she got in the form of her aching back. Despite not wanting to get up from her comfortable position, she knew she had to so she did. Looking around she found herself within the barren wasteland of the Threshold.

"Oi, you awake yet?" called her partner's voice.

The girl looked towards her right and found Ron coiled around a metal pole. She watched him hover above ground as he stretched his body. He then glided towards her side, examining her ever neutral expression.

"Well… What did you think of that conclusion?" he asked.

"Surreal," replied Rock as she rubbed her arms, gazing at the checkered floor with solemn eyes, "Yet not unwanted."

"Hmm, it's just like that time, huh? Now that I think of it, I think that mission didn't exactly look good in context. Bah, it's probably just me. Weird things happen all the time yet I'm still not used to it."

He then began to fly away, causing his partner to stand up and follow suit. The two walked in silence, watching the various scrap, junk, and discarded items of the surface world surround them.

"What happened to Dead?" asked Rock, curious to know what happened to the strange horned girl.

"She brought you out here after you were knocked unconscious," replied Ron, "good thing she didn't do anything weird to you. Anyhow, mission accomplished."

"Have they ascended yet?"

"Yep, they were thankful. Goddesses are weird, you know? I'm surprised Dead really helped us without asking for anything. Don't you think that's a bit out of character for her?"

"Don't care…" muttered the Black Star as she walked ahead, I'm jealous… I wish I had a sister too… Hmph, must be fun.


Nicolas Notes: Yeah, I lied. This is an ongoing now, probably not lasting a third chapter. Damn I got too many side fics at it is, well played Compile Heart, well played. My changing of factions aside, did this chapter even make sense? I fee like there was a lot of OOC. Dead and Rom, yeah those two... I feel like they're massive OOC. Remember, I still. don't. . know. what. I'm. DOING!

Think of this as an experimental fic where I'll be able to grasp more on the characters... The woes of not owning Mk2... This chapter would've gone longer but I think it's gone long enough. Too many detours and plot holes. (Please don't hurt me)

Um yeah, I'll be working on this fic as a side project. I dunno when the net one will be since I'll be focusing my time on each of my stories.

The Armored Blanc Soul was inspired by RWBY's newest trailer, except with a larger knight. Ahem, Blanc's my favorite character in the Neptunia fandom, though this may change. I think I may have tarnished her personality and reputation by not giving her enough screen time...

Again, sorry for the inconsistencies. See you next time!

Yahoo~